The Ace of Hearts
by SunKissedDayDream
Summary: Whether intending to or not, everyone gets caught up in the game of love eventually. Sadly, many fail to realize how to progress in the game, and some even fail to understand what exactly they're playing for. PruHun/Elizabeta x Gilbert, AU fic, R&R.


Hello there~

This is my first fic EVER, so please be gentle but firm with me when it comes to criticism. I want to become an author someday, so any advice on how to improve or what to avoid would be appreciated.

(A/N): This very short story is based off of a game we play ever year at my high school, where the girls are given one paper heart each and must refrain from speaking to or answering boys or the boys they address can steal their heart. You could say that a lot of what happens is written from personal experience, except for the girl's crush hinting at stealing her heart away... that was just wishful thinking on my part. I don't usually prefer to read AU fics and PruHun isn't my OTP, but it is a pairing I find cute (though some consider it crack since there is a lot of hostility between them at times). Anyway, I hope it wasn't too terrible or anything for a spur of the moment fic, and I apologize for its shortness and that Hungary is terribly OOC -_-'.

Characters' human names are used: Lilli is Lichtenstein, Bella is Belgium, Elizabeta is Hungary, Gil/Girlbert is Prussia. A virtual Gilbird (or as I like to call it a token of supreme AWESOMENESS) to anyone who can guess who stole Hungary's paper heart!~ Hint: It's not Prussia, but she fights a lot with this albino too.

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><p>February 14th ̶ Valentine's Day; a day of happiness, warmth and above all else, love. A day that a certain brunette with orange flowers in her hair would rather pretend it didn't exist sometimes. She had never been any good at expressing her feelings when it came to love, preferring to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself most of the time. Valentine's Day, in her opinion, wasn't anything special for her, all hot boy makeout sessions aside; she would wake up alone, step out into a love-struck society and ultimately end up sleeping alone that night, a never ending cycle.<p>

Though Lilli and Bella were also single, they didn't seem bothered by the warmth and love radiating between couples in the halls of their school that morning. As much as Elizabeta adored boy love (if her bloody nose was any indication), sometimes she would feel pangs of envy toward the happy couples. When the time finally came for the game to begin, the paper hearts were passed around and the brunette was determined to save her heart for the right person, or hold onto it for eternity. For her, it symbolized her vulnerability, her passions and her love, and she would never want her heart to be stolen by just anybody.

Sadly, as today's charm didn't quite affect her directly, Elizabeta forgot about the game and let her guard down. She breached the silence between girls and boys that the game demanded and her heart was snatched from her grasp by a white haired boy she accidently spoke to, accompanied by a snicker at her mistake. Defeated, she dragged her feet through the corridors to her classes, regretting the slip of the tongue that had cost her her heart. Had she been more vigilant and attentive, she would have had her heart in hand when a certain albino came around. He hadn't collected any hearts yet, saying that he hadn't really tried. This caught the girl's interest; most boys collected as many hearts as they could in the hopes of winning the game, treating each heart as a trophy and not a privilege. She had thought that Gil would have been no exception.

Gilbert raised his crimson eyes to hers expectantly, and she sighed, pointing toward the place where her paper heart would have hung had she not lost it, above her real heart. His face fell slightly, but then he smile teasingly and laughed at her (Kesesesese!) for losing her heart so easily. After ruffling her hair affectionatlely and flashing her his his trademark smirk, Gilbert headed toward his next class.

When the albino was out of sight and the halls began clearing of people headed to class, the Elizabeta lowered her head and curled her fists slightly at her sides. Closing her eyes as she felt tears beginning to pool at the corners, she let the prevailing thoughts that had occupied her mind since Gilbert had come to steal her paper heart resonate inside her head as her forced smile twisted in sorrow:

_Why would you want a paper heart, an external symbol, a fake? Didn't you realize that there's a heart of flesh, a heart capable of feeling real feelings, beating just below where that fake heart temporarily hung? That papery-thin lie was stolen away from me quite suddenly and unexpectedly, but it wasn't love and it didn't captivate my heart. The paper one symbolized, while the one beating in my chest is the embodiment of my feelings. Yes, my heart can be as easy to tear as paper, but it isn't as transparent, not at all. Though the fake heart is gone, the real one remains; so again, why would you want my paper heart, when my real heart is the one worth fighting for, the won worth winning in this game called love?_

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><p><strong>Please R&amp;R!~<strong> Constructive critism and love are welcome!~


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